Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – With particular system function
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-04
2001-04-03
Trieu, Van T. (Department: 2736)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
With particular system function
C340S527000, C340S565000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06211783
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention relates to security alarm systems, and more particularly to an action control process of a security alarm system, which render the security alarm system to contain an auxiliary function of monitoring or detecting human activity within the monitoring area of the security alarm system, by means of the plurality of predetermined security devices of the security alarm system, such as motion sensors, opening contacts such as door/window switches, and carpet mat sensors, etc., during both armed or disarmed condition. The present invention renders the conventional security alarm system to also work as a fully automatically control lifeguard system for specific usages such as nurse call, patient protection, senior citizen safety control, on duty supervised, time/schedule control, energy saving, prisoner activity control, etc.
Most residences and facilities have installed security alarm systems to monitor the facilities from burglars or accidents. Conventional security alarm system, such as fire alarm system or burglary alarm system, generally comprises a control system such as an alarm control panel to control a plurality of security devices, such as motion detectors for detecting human action within the monitoring areas, window sensors for detecting any damage thereof, opening contacts such as door/window switches for detecting in and out of people, carpet mat sensors for detecting people walking thereon, and alert devices including communication devices such as voice dialer and/or digital dialer and audible and visual alarm devices for providing local alarm when burglar breaks in the monitoring area. Normally the conventional security alarm system is in disarming condition. The user can switch the security alarm system to an arming condition by setting a control keypad or a remote control of the control system to activate all the security devices before the user leaves. The user can switch off (disarmed) the alarm system by setting the control keypad or remote control when the user comes back.
The most common lifeguard security device for seniors and patients is a kind of manual alert device which comprises a push call button or a pull box that locates at a reachable position for the seniors and patients to call for immediate help when the senior or patient needs immediate help. However, he or she still needs to manually operate the push call button or pull box in order to call for emergency help. Therefore, if the senior or patient gets coma during sleeping or suddenly loses conscious, he or she has no way to call for help by himself or herself.
However, it is also very difficult to have a watch guard or security guard to monitor each of the senior residences, prisoners, patients or animals twenty-four hours a day in residences or facilities such as senior apartments, prisons, hospitals, and zoos, the only alternative way is to install video cameras at as many monitoring areas as possible and send the video information to those monitors in the control center so that one security guard can monitor more than one people or animal. However, such additional video camera and monitor system is very costly while each security guard can merely monitor a limited number of monitors at the same time. Besides, it is not practical to install video camera to monitor a senior's bedroom because of privacy.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
A first advantage of the present invention is to render the general security alarm system to contain an auxiliary function of monitoring or detecting human activity within the monitoring area of the security alarm system 24 hours a day, by utilizing a plurality of selected security devices of the security alarm system, such as motion sensors, opening contacts such as door/window switches, and carpet mat sensors.
A second advantage of the present invention is to render the conventional security alarm system to also work as a fully automatically control lifeguard system for specific usages such as nurse call, patient protection, senior citizen safety control, on duty supervised, time/schedule control, energy saving, prisoner activity control, etc, wherein when there is no action detected by any of the security devices installed in a particular monitoring area within a predetermined period of time, regardless whether the security alarm system is armed or disarmed, the alert devices of the security alarm system will be activated to respond correspondingly, such as dialing a phone call to the center station or triggering the local warning devices and/or audible and visual alarm devices to generate warning signals, etc.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the user does not need to independently install the expensive monitoring system, simply by connecting an action control device between a plurality of predetermined security devices and the input of the control system of a conventional security alarm system. The user can utilize the security devices and the alert devices of the security alarm system to achieve the lifeguard function without scarifying the original alarm protection functions.
Accordingly, in order to accomplish the above advantages, the present invention provides action control process of a security alarm system, which comprises the steps of:
(a) maintaining a plurality of selected security devices, such as motion sensors, of the security alarm system in functioning condition;
(b) computing a predetermined period of monitoring time;
(c) detecting any motion activity occurred inside at least a monitoring area by the selected security devices installed in the monitoring area during the predetermined period of monitoring time;
(d) resetting to compute the predetermined period of monitoring time initially again when a motion activity is detected by one of the selected security devices installed in the monitoring area within the predetermined period of monitoring time;
(e) detecting no motion activity in the monitoring area by any of the selected security devices after the predetermined period of monitoring time; and
(f) activating at least an alert device to perform an alert response.
The action control process is especially suitable for the security alarm systems installed in senior apartments, prisons, hospitals, and etc. Generally, a human being even at sleep will move within a predetermined period of time, so that when there is no human action detected by the security devices of the security alarm system within the predetermined period of monitoring time, such as 1 hour to 24 hours selectably, an alert response will be activated to call for help or special care.
The action control process of the present invention further comprises the steps of stopping the computing of the predetermined period of monitoring time when the normally functioned security alarm system is fully set in an arming condition or manually disabled.
The above action control process is processed by incorporating an action control device between the plurality of selected security devices and the control system of the security alarm system, wherein the action control device comprises:
a time selector which is a time setting circuit for presetting a predetermined period of monitoring time;
a control processor unit, which comprises a timer counter and a processor, for picking signal from each of the selected security devices and processing the steps of
computing the predetermined period of monitoring time preset in the time selector;
detecting any motion activity occurred inside at least a monitoring area by the selected security devices installed in the monitoring area during the predetermined period of monitoring time;
resetting to compute the predetermined period of monitoring time initially again when a motion activity is detected by one of the selected security devices installed in the monitoring area within the predetermined period of monitoring time;
detecting no motion activity in the monitoring area by any of the selected security devices after the predetermined period of monitoring time; and
activating
Chan Raymond Y.
David and Raymond Patent Group
Trieu Van T.
LandOfFree
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